Tour bus flips over in wash amid Ariz. rain storm

Jul. 29, 2013
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This photo released by the Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District shows a Las Vegas-bound tour bus on its side in a flooded desert wash near Dolan Springs, Ariz. on Sunday, July 28, 2013. / Patrick Moore, AP

by Laurie Merrill, The Arizona Republic

by Laurie Merrill, The Arizona Republic

DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. - A Las Vegas-bound tour bus carrying 33 people was swept away by Arizona floodwaters as the driver attempted to cross a wash before turning the bus on its side amid heavy rains.

None of the passengers were injured after the bus flipped over in a fast moving, eight-foot deep wash near Kingman, fire and bus company officials said.

"It's astonishing that no one was hurt or injured because it had the makings of a terrible tragedy," said Patrick Moore, fire chief of the Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District.

All 33 passengers climbed through the large bus windows and jumped to the shore of the 100-foot wide, rapidly moving wash to safety, Moore said.

The bus carrying passengers back from the Grand Canyon Skywalk was about 35 minutes outside of Kingman when heavy rains and flash floods hit the area at about 2 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

"There was one storm that produced very heavy rainfall, and produced flash flooding conditions," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Stumpf.

The area where the bus accident occurred received 0.75 inches of rain in about an hour on Sunday afternoon, said Stumpf. A flash flood warning was in effect when the accident occurred, he said, and the bus driver shouldn't have been driving through the area at the time.

"It was a really strong storm dumping quite a bit of rain ... and it caused flash flooding," Stumpf said. "They were driving on a portion of the road where they shouldn't have tried to drive across. They should not have been driving through there."

Rhonda Ho, operations manager for Canyon Coach Lines, said the bus owned by the Las Vegas-based company was returning from a day-trip to the Grand Canyon's west rim when driver Joseph Razon saw a car right in front of him go through a section of the highway covered by some water, and "he thought, if a car can go through it, I can go through it."

The bus was pushed into the wash, she said, by the rushing water when a second current smashed into the bus, she said.

Ho said the driver was able to maneuver the bus into a nearby tree that kept the vehicle from going further down the wash. She said the driver and guide helped the passengers get out of the bus safely and wait for a second tour vehicle to arrive and finish the trip back to Vegas. She said the company is working to retrieve the bus and will conduct an internal investigation.

"I'm just so happy that nobody got hurt," she said. "Not even a scratch.

I'm glad the driver kept his cool and everybody got out safely. No one screamed on the bus and everyone kept their cool and that's amazing," Ho said.

She described Razon as a "very professional driver" with a spotless record. He has worked for the company since 2005.

The bus flipped over, tipped toward the banks of the wash, which was moving so quickly it eroded the pavement, Moore said.

The same wash cut Moore off from the rescue scene.

"The occupants waited on the dry land for personnel to arrive. Responding personnel were hampered to reach the scene due to the significant rain causing other washes to be flowing," Moore said.

A second tour bus picked up the passengers and brought them safely to Las Vegas, officials said.

The crash happened as Northern Arizona was hit with a second day of heavy rain.

The Arizona Department of Transportation closed an 18-mile stretch of Interstate-40 Saturday night between Flagstaff and Kingman because of the flash flooding.